Performative Politics
It's all about getting attention
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Fame vs. Leadership
In a time when fame is indiscriminately bestowed upon reality tv stars, online influencers, and other attention seekers regardless of their lack of meaningful accomplishment, it should not be surprising that politicians, dependent on winning over voters, make prodigious efforts to gain “name recognition”. This has always been the case for those running for office, of course, but the modern mediascape with its many tv channels and social media platforms provides numerous opportunities for aspiring public servants to stand out from the crowd. But these opportunities are also dicey as they open the way for egocentric types more interested in attracting attention than fulfilling the duties of a public servant. Donald Trump is the epitome of this approach.
Ronald Reagan, not Trump, was the first celebrity President, a man whose fame came from his previous career as a movie star. But, as a two-term Governor of California, Reagan also brought substantial political experience to the Oval Office. Trump, on the other hand, owed his nationwide fame to 14 seasons as the star of the tv show The Apprentice/ The Celebrity Apprentice and had no history in either business or politics that prepared him to be the chief executive of a global superpower. He was never the successful business executive he played on The Apprentice: television not only brought Trump fame but also allowed him to climb out of the deep financial hole he had dug for himself after a series of business failures. It is entirely plausible that Trump would never have won the election if it weren’t for his portrayal of a hard-nosed businessman on the show. As his time in office proved, Trump had little understanding of the responsibilities of the President but voters saw him as the strong leader they had seen on tv.
Ideally, we should expect our elected politicians to exhibit qualities of leadership- the ability to communicate and motivate and the courage to make tough decisions even when they are at odds with popular opinion. Leaders must be accountable for their actions. Other qualities- compassion, humility, and self-awareness- are also elements that characterize effective leadership. Throughout history, many of these qualities were attributed to successful military leaders- e.g. Caesar, Charlemagne, Saladin, Napoleon- and often formed the basis of their personal political power. It has been no different in the United States: Beginning with George Washington, Americans have often turned to war heroes to lead us- Andrew Jackson, Ulysses S. Grant, Teddy Roosevelt, and Dwight Eisenhower, for example.
Fame is superficial and accordingly a poor standard to apply when judging a person’s qualifications for elected office. Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt were not household names before being elected President, but their accomplishments in office were impactful on the political life of the nation.
Performers: The Opening Acts
In this age of a population afflicted with short-attention spans and little patience for long-form exposition, attracting attention, whether it be to sell a product, become a pop culture star, or get elected to office, seems to require a message that is as outrageous as possible. “Say anything” if it garners clicks and goes viral. The growing popularity of the online platform TikTok exemplifies this trend. And because today’s smartphones can record high-quality video easily, the ability to disseminate an affecting message to huge audiences is literally in your hand. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter- one or more of these platforms are part of most people’s lives. Think of them as well-stocked fish ponds where it’s impossible not to catch a fish.
It is not surprising then that politicians utilize these various online platforms to not only publicize issue-oriented positions but to gain valuable name recognition. And since everyone is doing it, the way to stand out is to be more outlandish than the other guys. This a-lot-of-noise-with-little-signal approach is referred to as “performative politics”. You will find many of these types in Congress, stirring the pot of popular outrage to attract attention. Many Americans are probably more familiar with Lauren Boebert, Matt Gaetz, and Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez (“AOC”) than the woman or man who represents their own district.
The absolute queen of these show-offs is Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) who specializes in outrageously inane statements (”wildfires are started by Jewish space lasers”) and trolling of Democrats. Her attraction to conspiracy theories preceded her election to Congress in 2020.
Having been stripped of her committee assignments shortly after being seated in Congress, Rep. Greene apparently has nothing better to do than engage in attention-getting stunts. She has abandoned the traditional role of the legislator for a career in performative politics.
Performers: The Current Headliner
When it comes to staging eyebrow-raising political stunts, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, the nation’s third-most populous state, takes a backseat to no one. Mimicking the bully persona that was effective for Trump, DeSantis, the man I called “the Sultan of Spite” back in April, uses the power of his office to project the image of a tough leader. The Governor brooks no pushback, even from Florida’s compliant Republican-controlled legislature. Dissatisfied with the redistricting map the legislature drew up, he called a special session in April so his own map could be approved. He used the same session to have The Disney Company’s special district status rescinded after the state’s largest employer took a public position against Florida’s gender instruction law (the “Don’t Say Gay” bill). One consequence of the move is Florida taxpayers may have to make up close to $2 billion in taxes that Disney is no longer on the hook for.
Way to go, Governor.
That was just a warm-up for the prickly DeSantis, who specializes in culture war issues to rev up his supporters, and will punch down on anyone who opposes him, a man who has had journalists removed from his press conferences if they ask tough questions. He convinced the legislature to appropriate $3.7 million for an Office of Election Crimes and Security-which he controls- to investigate and prosecute election fraud. In August, DeSantis announced that the “election police” had charged 20 former felons with illegally voting in the 2020 election. A 2018 referendum had ended a permanent ban on voting for felons who had completed their sentences. In 2019, the legislature placed an obstacle in the way of felons who wished to register and vote, enacting a law that stipulated “completing a sentence meant paying of all court fees and fines.” The 20 who had been arrested and charged were apparently a victim of government misfeasance: they did not know they were breaking the law, and in most of the cases local election officials had sent them voter registration materials. Additionally, the state had not created a centralized database to cross-check eligibility, so neither the voters nor election officials could be certain of any former felon’s status… Whoops.
Since shamelessness is the hallmark of the performing politician, DeSantis simply ignored the voting brouhaha and moved on to another culture war issue- immigration. Perhaps he noticed that a potential rival for the Republican nomination for President in 2024, Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas, was getting attention for a pricey stunt: Busing migrants from Texas’ southern borders to “sanctuary cities” in the North, beginning with New York City and Washington, D.C. NYC Mayor Eric Adams reacted by stating that “It’s the worst type of politics. It’s hateful politics to raise his national profile…” That, of course, is exactly the point. The taxpayers of Texas were understanding enough to pay the millions it cost for Abbott’s profile raising.
Not to be undone, last week DeSantis charted 2 planes to fly 48 migrants from San Antonio (which is in Texas, not Florida) to Martha’s Vineyard. A DeSantis spokesperson said the flights were made to “transport illegal immigrants to sanctuary destinations”. The cost of the flights was a reported $650,000, paid from a $12 million fund DeSantis had requested “to facilitate the transport of unauthorized aliens out of Florida”. To DeSantis’ apparent surprise, the Vineyard’s residents greeted the migrants with meals, shelter, health care, and information about where to find work. The tough guy governor had sent a video crew along to record the outraged reactions of Vineyard liberals and was doubtless disappointed. Furthermore, it soon became obvious that this particular group, mostly from Venezuela, had requested asylum and had been released by Federal officials pending hearings, meaning they were in the country legally. More damaging to DeSantis, evidence surfaced indicating the group had been lured onto the flights by operatives who falsely promised the migrants they were being transported to a place where work and housing awaited them.
While the migrants were warmly welcomed and eventually transported to Massachusett’s mainland where there were better facilities, DeSantis faced a firestorm of public criticism and potential legal problems. With the assistance of a civil rights law group, Lawyers for Civil Rights, the migrants filed a class-action suit this week against DeSantis and others for fraudulently inducing them to board the planes and cross state borders. And the Sheriff of Bexar County, which includes San Antonio, announced an investigation into the circumstances that led to the asylum-seekers being lured into making the trip.
Of course, in the aftermath of this kerfuffle, DeSantis has done what any shameless politician would do, double down. He promised to fly another planeload of migrants to Delaware and drop them at Joe Biden’s residence.
As they say in showbiz, no matter what, the show must go on.